Refrigerator



Dec. 31, 1940. i w. A. KuENzL I 2,226,617

' REFRIGERATOR Filed May 20, 1937 HWHHHHHHHHIHHIHIHWlHll HIHHHH HHIHHIPatented Dec. 31, 1940 U ETED STATES REFRIGERATR Walter A. Kuenll,Evansville, Ind., assignor to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Application May 2d, 1937, SeriallNo. 143,814

3 Claims. (Ci. 20-40 This invention relates to insulation material and amethod of installing or applying same, an'd is concerned primarily withthe insulation of refrigerator and like cabinets having spaced inner 5-and outer walls between which insulation material is inserted.

The invention, although of unusual simplicity, provides a number ofimportant advantages, among which may be mentioned a simplified and 10more efiicient insulating operation, particularly with respect torefrigerator and like cabinets; elimination -of unnsulated spaces andcrevices or cracks that would otherwise remain empty; the ability tocarry out the insulating operation with- 15 out the necessity ofsubsequent filling or stufling of unfilled spaces with mineral wool orother similar material; and generally a more complete and uniforminsulation of the spaces between the walls to be insulated. i'

20 With the foregoing and other objects and advent-ages in view, theinvention consists in the preferred construction and arrangement ofparts and the method of carrying out the insulating operation which willbe more fully hereinafter de- 25 scribed and claimed. i

Generally stated, the present method of applying insulation betweenspaced walls to be insulated, such as between the inner and outer wallsof refrigerator and like cabinets, consists in compressing a certainamount of compressible insulating material into block or other suitableform approximating the shape and area of the space to beinsul'ated;packaging or binding the compressed insulation material by means of an35 adhesive substance or covering which will subsequen'tly let loose orrelease the compressed insulation upon being subjected to a condition oragent which will nullify or destroy the adhesive or binding propertiesof ;the substance or cover- 40 ing such as a heating, drying, or achemical action; then installing the c'ompressed blocks of insulation inthe said space, and thereafter subjecting the bound or packagedinsulation to the appropriate condition or agent to thereby cause 45 theadhesive or covering .to release the compressed material, permitting thelatter to expand and fill the space to be insulated. v

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a refriger- 50 ator cabinet withthe walls partly broken away to show the insulation therebetween, theblocks of insulationin this figure being shown compressed to facilitatetheir application or insertion between the walls of the cabinet;

55 Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the blocks ofinsulation after the adhesive which binds the same has been caused torelease the insulation, permitting it to expand and fill the spacebetween the refrigerator walls;

Figs. 3 and 4 show different types of insula- 5 tion blocks for carryingout the present improved 'insulating method.

First referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a refrigerator cabinet i's generallyindicated .at C and has a door D and a food compartment F. The outercasing or wall of. the refrigerator is indicated at IO and the innerwall or liner Which defines the food compartment at H, these walls beingspaced from on'e another to permit the application or installation ofinsul'ating material therebetween.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, these figures illustrate blocks ofinsulation material which are compressed ready for insertion in thespace between the walls Ill and ll. In Fig. 3,y the insulation blockcomprises compressible insulation ma- .terlal l2, such as balsam wool orthe like whose individual fibers are more or less resilient. Insulationmaterial |2 is packaged or bound by a wrapper l'3 of paper or the like,the joined edge portions M of which are sealed by a suitable adhesivehaving, for example, a defini-te melting point. The wrapper or containerl3 may be filled or stuffed with the insulation material and sealed at atemperature below the melting point of the adhesive. The dimensions orsize of the respective blocks should be such as will permit readyinsertion in the space -to be insulated. After the blocks have beeninserted in the said space, or spaces,- th'e afdhesive is subjected to atemperature such as will cause it to melt and release the sealed portionof the wrapper, thereby permitting the insulation material to expand andfill the said space.

In Fig. 4 .the insulation material i2a is held compressed or bound by acovering |3a ofsuitable material having a certain predetermined meltingpoint, so that after the block is inserted in the space to be insulated,the block or cabinet as a whole may be subjected to a temperature suchas will cause the covering to melt 'and permit the insulation to expand.

This binding or covering could 'also be of a material such as would bedissolve'd by a drying or a chemical action. During assembling or 50packaging of the insulation, it will of course be understood that thetemperature of the room or other characteristics which affect thebinding or adhesive properties of the material used to hold theinsulation in compressed' form are such as 55 th'e said material.

In applying a heating or other melting or dissolvlng agency, the entirecabinet may be subjected to the agency or the latter may be appliedlocally. For instance, the refrigerator cabinets may be warmed or bakedafterthei' assembly, or after the blocks are lnserted, the meltingorreleasing agent could be applied directly to the blocks, or to thespaces around the same. If an adhesive or binding substance having amelting or dissolving point at or below room temperature is selected,the block or container therefor may be chilled and the assemblingoperation conductedl at temperatures below room temperature.

There are numerous other methods which could be adopted in packaging orcausing the insulation material to adhere or remain in compressed formuntil subjected to a releasing operation. For example, the entirematerial or a portion thereof could be impregnated or coated with asuitable adhesive or cement having the desired characteristics wherebywhen it is subjected to a temperature or other condition or agent, itwill release'the insulation and permit the latter to expand. The essencecvf the invention resides in the use of insulation material of acom'pressible and expansible nature and a binding substance thereforwhich will release the material when subjected to some condition oragent aiecting the adhesive or binding 'properties of the substance.

Obviously, in selecting the adhesive or binding agent, any possibleefiect it may have on the insulating properties of the insulatingmaterial should be taken into consideration.

It will be understood that certain variations in structure and method ofprocedure may be adopted within the scope of the invention as defined by2,226,617 wi' be "beow the metinzg or ais'sovi'g point oft package in acompressed state, said 'wrapper being adapted when released to permitthe expansion of said insulating material -to fill said space; insertingsaid package into said space;.destroying the binding property of saidbinding agent while said package is in said space, whereby saidinsulating material will be released from its compressed state so thatit will expand to fill said space, and closing said space.

2.. A method of insulating a space within a wall structure, whichincludes the following steps: compressing and confining insulatingmaterial in a wrapper to form a package similar in shape to said spacebut less in size than said space, securing said wrapper with the aid ofan adhesive agent to retain said package in a compressed "state, saidwrapper being adapted when released to permit the expansion of saidinsulation to fill ,said space; the major portion of the interior ofsaid package being substantially freeof said adhesive agent, insertingsaid compressed package into said space; closing said space; andsubsequently destroying the adhesive property of said adhesive agentwhereby said insulating material will be released from its compressedstate so that it will expand to fill said space.

3. A method of insulating aspace bounded by wall structure, whichincludes the following steps: compressing and confining insulatingmaterial in a wrapper to form a package, securing said wrapper with, theaid of a binding agent to retain said package in a compressed state,said wrapper being adapted when released to permit the expansion of'said insulating material to fill said space; said binding agent havingits binding property destroyable by a predetermined temperature,inserting said compressed package into said space while at a temperatureother than said predetermined temperature; destroying the bindingproperty of said binding agent by su-bjecting said package in said spaceto said predetermined temperature whereby said insulating material willbe released from its compressed state in said package so that it willexpand to fill said space, and closing said pace.

WALTER A. KUENZLI.

